Coati Exhibit

July 31st, 2011.

Hi Snowleopard.

What's holding these guys back? I ave known them to escape fom most open topped enclosures and it appears that the shrub near the signage s casting a shadow on it!

What's on the other side of us barrier?

I was wondering the same thing and I've visited this place twice! I know that the javelina (peccary) and coyote exhibits at ASDM have used "invisnet", a remarkably clear netting that is barely discernible. However, in the case of the coatis I believe that the drop-off on the other side of the short wall is much steeper than it looks, plus a ring of hotwire hidden in the underbrush seems believable. A recent photo from "Arizona Docent" shows at least 5 of the critters in the enclosure and while it is perhaps one of the world's most naturalistic exhibits for the species there must be a way to keep them contained. I cannot recall if there is also a water barrier below the wall that might deter the animals as well.

There is a foreground water moat, very well designed to look like a natural watercourse. The rear and side barriers are comprised of an amazingly subtle "invisinet" mesh fence augmented with nearly undetectable hotwire. The fence posts are fabricated to look like ocotillo and saguaro cactus "skeletons," and blend seamlessly with the vegetation both inside and outside the enclosure. It is among the most artfully crafted exhibit containment systems I've ever seen, even at the ASDM, which is full of them.

Thanks guys,

This zoo has never been on my to see list until now!

Reduaki the description of hot wire fence intrigues me.

@reduakari: so I did remember it correctly, with the water moat and hotwire amongst the invisinet backdrop. Thanks for the update!

@zooman: the 1980 book "Great Zoos of the World" profiles about 25 of the world's truly great zoos and ASDM is contained with its pages. This zoo is absolutely brilliant and just take a few minutes to glance through the ZooChat gallery to see the outstanding quality of exhibits. ASDM has been one of America's top zoos for many years and almost everything about it is top-notch and of the highest quality. One possible flaw that folks mention is that there is a lack of mega-fauna as the animals displayed are limited to the Sonoran Desert, and also that progress has somewhat stalled in the past decade. However, that would be nitpicking.

The purpose of the zoo/museum is to interpret the Sonoran desert region and the megafauna there unfortunately went extinct 10,000 years ago, so the lack of megafauna is not a flaw.

A few miles from the ASDM is the excellent Reid Park Zoo which for a small zoo has a terrific collection of megafauna (African elephants, white rhinos, giraffes, grizzly bears, lions, tigers, jaguars, etc.) that will satisfy any zoo fan.

I completely agree with you and the city of Tucson must be a great place to live if one can stomach the insane summer temperatures. However, I was thinking of one of our ZooChat moderators when I made that statement. Here is a direct and very recent quote from "jbnbsn99":

There are a few major species missing, that I feel could really add to the overall "punch" of the facility. Missing were Mule Deer, Pronghorn, and Jaguar. The lack of these charismatic megafauna is sorely missed. The focus on the small animals is highly commended, but that needs to be balanced with keystone species.